Developer Particle Systems' 1998 space-combat simulation Independence War quickly became popular because of its unusually realistic physics model and its engaging story. The game put you in command of a small capital ship. You sat at the helm of the bridge and issued orders to your crew, and you were in charge of the ship's various systems. Among its numerous merits, Independence War earned GameSpot's award for best science-fiction simulation of 1998. Now publisher Infogrames has announced that the game's sequel is under development. Independence War 2: The Edge of Chaos is scheduled to ship in winter of this year.

　　Independence War 2 has an all-new cast of characters, and it puts you in the role of Cal Johnston, a rebellious captain of a small starship manned by escaped prisoners. This time, unlike in the original game, you can commandeer more than one ship over the course of the game and use your underworld connections to score new equipment and weapons with which you'll retrofit your craft. The game will also feature a brand-new user-friendly interface that reportedly won't require you to consult any keyboard-reference materials, presumably because of floating-help features and other intuitive help options.

　　Independence War 2 will use an all-new 3D graphics engine that supports the Direct3D API, unlike its predecessor, which only supported 3D acceleration with Glide-based video cards. The game will also include both deathmatch and cooperative multiplayer modes. Check out these screenshots posted on Particle Systems' site, and stay tuned for more information about this promising simulation.